Web Design in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition O'Reilly, 2001
The section on CSS is highly recommended reading for anyone who still hasn't taken the plunge and started creating style sheets in preference to inline formatting. There are also useful overviews of JavaScript, Flash, internationalization (i18n), XML, XHTML and other advanced technologies. Each chapter is short and easily digestible, and its clear layout makes it a reference book you'll come back to again and again. The emphasis is principally on design, making this the ideal one-stop reference for beginners or people with a more artistic approach to web design. If you're more interested in the nitty-gritty of code, especially with regard to JavaScript and XML, "The Web Professional's Handbook" may be more your style. |
SQL Queries for Mere Mortals Addison-Wesley, 2000
It begins with a review of how relational databases work, and guidelines for making sure your database structure is sound. A nice touch is the way in which queries are presented first in everyday language, and then with a single line crossing out words that should be omitted in formulating a SQL statement. |
Programming Perl, 3rd Edition O'Reilly, 2000
Written in a clear style, with a liberal sprinkling of humour thrown in, which certainly helps when trying to get to grips with the complexities and subtleties of Perl. |
Cascading Style Sheets: Designing for the Web, 2nd Edition Addison-Wesley, 1999
|
CJKV Information Processing O'Reilly, 1999
Because they use thousands of characters, rather than the 26 letters of the Roman alphabet, Chinese and Japanese have long caused major headaches for computer programmers - not to mention computer users. Korean no longer uses Chinese characters to the same extent, but the complex structure of the Hangul script still presents a formidable hurdle, as do the many accent combinations used in modern Vietnamese. Ken Lunde is the expert on this field (at least in the English-speaking world), and his book is an impressive tour de force. It's an essential reference work for anyone dealing with the display of any of the CJKV languages in computer systems. It covers all the current encoding systems, and utilities for converting from one to another. One day, when Unicode resolves the current muddle, Ken Lunde's book will probably no longer be needed, but that day still seems far off. Even so, it will be of fascination to computer historians in years to come. |
© 2002-5, Japan Interface. All rights reserved.
Problems finding what you want?
Try searching Computer Manuals (UK)...
| Get Books On: |
... Amazon UK...
... Amazon USA...
... Amazon in Canada...
...or Amazon Japan
A superb quick guide to everything a web designer should know. Every tag and attribute in HTML4.01 is covered, and the book is packed with useful tips about common problems. Mystery gaps in a sliced image? The answer is here.
This is a follow-up to Michael Hernandez's highly successful "Database Design for Mere Mortals" (also reviewed on this site), and takes the same straightforward approach to SQL - the programming language common to all main relational database systems. As with the previous book, one of this book's great strengths is its software-independent approach. Hernandez and Viescas concentrate on the core language, so you will be able to apply your knowledge to any database system.
Perhaps the most surprising thing about this book is its title. Given that the lead author is Larry Wall, the inventor of Perl, and the encyclopedic nature of its contents, it could easily fit into the O'Reilly "Definitive Guide" series. Everything you ever wanted to know about Perl - and more - is probably within these pages. It even contains a couple of examples of "Perl poetry".
In spite of its publication date, this book is still ahead of its time. Sadly, browser support for CSS has not moved ahead as rapidly as might have been hoped (although it's getting there). The authors, Hakon Lie and Bert Bos, were responsible for drawing up the CSS specifications, and are still closely associated with their development. What they describe in this book is the way CSS will work once browsers catch up. The layout makes it easy to find each style rule, and straightforward descriptions are backed up by clear diagrams. Well worth reading, as long as you remember that browser support for some parts of CSS is still patchy or non-existent.
What, you may ask is CJKV? It's not yet another arcane computer programming language, but refers to real human languages as spoken and written in China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam.